Our Delusional President

Too Many Billy Goat Books in The White House?

In case you think he needs to be taken seriously anymore.

Why Bush is the Worst President Ever Vol.4

$300 Billion Pissed Away

I know this Forbes report says fraud hasn't been a big factor in profiteering in the Iraq war, it never is...until the next administration looks at the books.

Already the Dems smell the blood in the water, less than a month after they were sworn in.

Just to be clear, the US has spent (mostly off-budget) in excess of $300 billion to ruin a country. The infrastructure is devastated, the government is corrupt, the citizens live in fear, industry has been destroyed, the currency has no backing until the oil flows, but...the US wants the country to give up 70% of oil profits to non-Iraqi oil firms, specifically the US.

I'm thinking the die is cast and the Bush Administration will be remembered as the most corrupt ever.

The Republicans wasted over $64 million on the smoke and mirror Starr investigation of Whitewater and $4.4 million on the Monica Lewinsky investigation.

Wonder what the Dems will pay to dig up Bush and Cheney's skeletons?

Cheney: Chicken Hawk in Chief

Bush May Be Clueless But Cheney Knows What He's Doing

To be clear, read Maureen Dowd's analysis of our country's worst Vice President ever.

Americans babble that Cheney's not benefitting from his Halliburton ties because his holdings consist of stock options in a blind trust. Ask the same astute American what a blind trust is and you'll get a shrug. Cheney's looks like this:

100,000 shares at $54.5000 (vested), expire December 3, 2007

33,333 shares at $28.1250 (vested), expire December 2, 2008

300,000 shares at $39.5000 (vested), expire December 2, 2009

(Congressional Research Service)

So imagine taking the records of whatever investments you have and putting them in a box and burying it: a blind trust. If you know you buried Halliburton stock options and you happened to be in a position that would let you give Halliburton $10 billion annual contracts....? Ah, but it's a blind trust?

The little weasel is still collecting a salary from them for Pete's sake!

Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2001: $205,298

Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2002: $162,392

Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2003: $178,437

Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2004: $194,852

(Congressional Research Service)

True, it goes into an account that he can't access until 2008 but he's worth $94 million so I guess a few hundred thou a year getting interest in a bank isn't too shabby.

Cheney's a cowardly crook that makes inner city thugs look like honest entrepreneurs.

There's an old saying, "War's good business, invest your son."

Not this old man. My son's not dying while this bastard makes 1 penny off the war.

Dinesh D'Souza? Boy Don't Want to Have Fu-un

Has He Heard of That Great Arab City Dubai?

Dubai is currently under (re) construction, complete with an indoor ski mountain in the middle of the desert, the jewel of the United Arab Emirates. It's a pretty racy place, too.

Dinesh D'Souza really needs to get out more . Ted Kennedy and Baywatch caused 9/11? I guess Osama is lining up a plane ticket for Dubai then. He thinks Arabs hate us because we party? Did this guy study under Pat Robertson or what? I always thought fundamentalist religions were pretty much the same and this guy proves it.

Who the hell is this guy? He makes Ann Coulter look communist.

Too Much, Too Late

Cheney & Rumsfeld Spurned Petraeus Peace Model

After gallantly disassembling Iraq, Tricky Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld decried any attempt at nation building in favor of a gestapo like US military presence. Once again they were dead wrong.

The new Commander in Iraq knew better when he was in charge of Mosul and established a command more reminiscent of City Hall than Cheney's current occupation from hell. Everything from schools and hospitals to a friendly cop on the corner calmed the uneasy city.

The problem is that the 3 stooges didn't like his approach when it could have mattered. Petraeus used 20,000 troops to replace gunfire with trust and clearly would need even more troops for all of Iraq than even the surge will provide.

Had his methods been accepted early and the "insurgency" quelled, recruiting soldiers in the US might not have been so difficult and international Non-Government Organizations (NGO's) may have been more willing to step in.

Of course that might have threatened Halliburton and Bechtel profits, something Cheney couldn't allow.

It's damned if you do, damned if you don't time. A rapid pullout may spark a bloody civil war that outstrips even Saddam's cruelty and bloodshed.

The Democrats seem fearless charting a path through this minefield, but if the world sees bloody pictures of Iraq in full scale civil war the Dems stand a good chance of being repudiated and the balance of their agenda will be unachievable.

We're All For Capital Punishment Unless...

The Killer's White and the Victim's Not

The four soldiers who killed 3 suspected Iraq rebels for sport sure ain't facing the death penalty.

While on patrol they apparently arrested then released the three Iraqi's who were shot (in the back) as they ran from the scene.

So far the sentences are one court martial, one nine month sentence (he shot a released prisoner to put him out of his misery) and two 18 year sentences.

Imagine if three of our soldiers were shot in the back and two of the killers got less than a year.

It's easy to be pro-life and pro-capital punishment when you're a white American I guess.

Plamegate turns into Rovegate

Scooter Libby Won't Take Fall for Rove

Apparently Lewis Libby has drawn the line. (Why would a gray haired fart call himself Scooter?) His lawyer said Libby was the fall guy for the Bush Administration (which seems like something Libby could have told the special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald months ago.)

When the whole story broke in 2003 I heard an interview with (Valerie) Plame's husband Joe Wilson, a former ambassador, who quite positively stated that Karl Rove was the guilty party that revealed his wife's CIA secret identity to that columnist of right wing bullshit, Robert Novak. Wilson later apologized for the accusation.

Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald did his duty by absolving Rove in time for him to "mastermind" the GOP candidates in this (off) year election. Oooops.

So now Fitzgerald has to prosecute the innocent guy to protect Rove. Nice.

My only regret is that they couldn't pin the whole thing on Cheney, Libby's boss at the time all hell broke loose.

To show how seriously the Bush administration wants to punish dissidents, the law they knowingly broke protecting the identity of CIA operatives was signed by Baby Bush's Papa.

Bush to Big Oil: Who Loves Ya Baby?

Bush Administration Allows Welfare for Big Oil

The Bush administration has decided to pursue the return of millions of dollars from victims of Katrina. The government says the money was mistakenly given to many of the victims, including college students whose personal belongings were damaged by the storm.

Old Uncle Sam is pretty shrewd with a dollar, eh?

Not so fast.

Every time a gallon of oil is pumped out of federally owned land, oil companies are supposed to pay Americans a royalty for the privilege of leasing the land from us.

And while aid received by the victims of Katrina is being closely scrutinized, no one bothered to inquire if Big Oil was paying its rightful share.

Surprise! Low estimates put the unpaid royalties at $10 billion annually (roughly the entire federal allocation for Katrina aid). The feds say it would take more effort than its worth to try to collect the unpaid royalties.

One report claims over $800 billion has been uncollected in California alone.

It does give you a hint about what was discussed in Dick Cheney's still secret meeting with Big Energy two weeks after he took office.

And Now for Something Completely Different

What Real Estate Meltdown? Not in Jolly Old England!

The smarmy gentleman you see is showing this 77 sq ft "apartment" for sale in London.

It has no electricity or heat.

It is in a swanky neighborhood, but really...

It's listed at a $335,000.

Really.

Bush: The Hanging Guv

Imagine if He Had a Conscience!

A not-so-surprising study has found Dallas County Texas has had as many capitol convictions overturned by DNA evidence as the entire states of California or Florida.

When Bush was governor of Texas he allowed more sanctioned killings (117) than any other governor. He repeatedly turned down clemency requests and boasted he slept soundly each night with no regrets or questions. His only reprieve was for 30 days and that because he was running for President.

So why did he avoid watching the tape of Saddam Hussein's hanging? Is capitol punishment acceptable only at arms length? He can sleep soundly as long as someone else pulls the lever?

Kind of like his commitment to the Vietnam war: fine by him as long as he doesn't actually have to be involved.

The Other United States

Without Freedom and Justice for All

Many of the "terrorist" suspects grabbed by anxious CIA agents have been proven to have no connection to al Qaeda, Wahhabism or any other potentially violent activity.

But just as Bush didn't care if innocents were put to death in Texas prisons while he was governor, he doesn't care if Muslims are tried in kangaroo courts while he is President.

Could they at least have the dignity NOT to have an American flag in the courtroom?

Geez, We Voted to Do What...?

Republicans Feign Ignorance Instead of Stupidity

Reverting to their true spineless form, Republicans are acting like Rip Van Winkle awaking from his dreams.

While the true red neck Republican legislators are content to pull out their stop watches to question Pelosi's 100 hour pledge (suddenly, those reps act like they have been paying attention all the while: they were just always wrong), those with literate constituencies are cautiously voting the way a majority of Americans want them to.

Even Bush's traditional Republican (Yassah Massah!) war support is wilting under the threat the Democrats might not play nice.

As Bush plows ahead with Cheney's newest plan to preserve his buddies revenue, the world gapes in wonder as Bush shows he's not even a conservative.

As I've said all along, Bush's life has proven the adage "Ignorance is bliss."

Bush Told the Iraqui's to "Bring it On" , Soooo

Iraqui's "Bring it On" in Advance of "Surge"

Iraqi insurgents are determined to show the Bush / Cheney chicken hawks what their take on "bring it on" is. Attacks at a "safe" university guarded by the Sadr militia killed over 100 police and students.

I can only guess how hard it is to pose as a macho man when you're just a draft dodger. Someone who understands the value of life instead of the value of their buddy's investments ought to dope slap these clowns and take charge

As long as They Don't Care About Winning

Democrats Talk About Running Obama For President

For those who think America will become one big happy family without racial bias in the next two years, Obama is the ideal candidate. Now hold hands and sing "this Land is Your Land."

For the rest of us who feel ashamed that race still splits America and dictates behaviors that show the world our ignorance (this Will Smith story for instance) Obama is simply the best qualified to be President, although it's quite impossible.

Just so We All Understand

Republicans Don't Monopolize Stupid

I know he's from the South, but for Pete's sake: has he read the Bill of Rights or does he just know the 2nd Amendment by heart and by God that's all he needs?

I know, Tipper Gore is from the South too.

Must be the 1st Amendment was written before there were Southern states and they just haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

Lyndon Johnson Redux

Bush's Speech for Escalation Analyzed

A word by word interpretation of Bush's policy speech. Read the comments below the analysis:)

Dumb vs. Dumb

Conservatives: Not a War to Win, A War to Sell

It's been said that not all conservative people are stupid but all stupid people are conservatives.

The right-wing Accuracy in Media (AIM) is refereeing a Col. Ollie North / Bill O'Reilley tiff over a fact that liberals pointed out years ago: Iraq ain't Vietnam (and thank God 'cause we lost that one.)

So if they can just put a little more lipstick on this pig they may just get the war they wanted. (The postponed follow-up to former Sec'y of Defense Don Rumsfeld's "You go to war with the Army you've got, not with the Army you want.)

Evangelicals Draw the Line

They're Not My Neighbor if They Don't Go to My Church

First there's a story on the homeless that should shock us all (but won't). So for all the self proclaimed Judeo Christians piously worrying about affirmative action, intelligent design, welfare and all your other mean spirited and meaningless issues, a quick reminder.

Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Why is Security a Class Issue?

The Politics of Inconvenience

Apparently Americans feel more secure the more they're inconvenienced. The more the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) harasses fliers, the safer fliers believe the country is.

Politicians appreciate this misguided confidence. Unwilling and unable to counter every invasion or attack, a false sense of security is the best they have to offer.

But the new Democratic House Majority reasoned that if our security is truly worth ensuring, let's focus on the most likely terrorist opportunities, not the ones they've already used. Why not inspect the millions of containers that fly in and out of the country each year?

And while inspection of all air and sea cargo freight seems like a real security enhancement, it just doesn't inconvenience the public enough to inspire false confidence. But it does require business to join the anti-terrorist campaign.

Wow, asking for accountability from the lobbyists employers! Yikes! What were they thinking.

Regardless that experts had long warned that our entry points were the least secure and most dangerous opportunities for terrorists, Republicans were incensed that corporate America might have to join the national security effort.

Where many see catastrophe, others see new technologies and improved information flow. Imagine 21st century commerce jump started by the Democrats! Of course the Republicans won't realize this for a few years...until the new companies that emerge can afford lobbyists to grease their wheels.

Companies routinely fly private jets to avoid security searches the rest of us endure, even though there's an obvious terrorist opportunity here. And you know that the Homeland Security folks aren't about to inconvenience Bush's well-heeled friends.

You don't believe that it's blatant cronyism and lobbyist cash that's preventing yours and my security? Consider that the last congress turned over the responsibility for the security of some of our most dangerous targets to...the industry itself. The chemical industry quickly responded by doing nothing, which seemed not to bother the Republican congress.

Since you and I don't grease their already greasy palms, we give up our shampoo and water bottles, take off our shoes and wait in interminable lines.

But God forbid truly dangerous situations are addressed by the business community.

If they don't have a responsibility to enhance our security, why should I? Get the TSA out of the airports and give me back my shampoo.

I'm less potentially dangerous than all the shipping containers, nuclear plants and chemical facilities which the Republicans think need no intrusive inspection.

If Tom Delay was Dead ;(

He'd Be Spinning in His Grave

Do you really think former Rep. Tom Delay (R - TX) spent all those years bxxx-fxxxxxx Democrats just to have a bunch of crying babies come back begging for mercy from the Dems?

Minority leader Rep. Boehner is whining the first week of the session, "What we really expect out of the Democrats is for them to treat us as they would like to have been treated."

Notice he'd didn't say "The way they were treated."

Don't think it's mercy time for the assholes yet.

The K Street project lives, the money will just be redirected.

Republicans, repeat after me, "Thank you sir! May I have another?"

Why Bush is the Worst President Ever: Volume 3

I Am Not a Crook: Bush's Missing 18 Seconds

As a conference convenes Monday, January 8 at the University of Michigan to consider the sheer volume of information and documentation Bush and his accomplices have locked away, it turns out the Secret Service collaborated to hide Bush's involvement with Jack Abramoff last spring.

From Cheney's still secret "energy conference" until now, these guys are protecting each other while enriching their friends.

May need a new prison when this administration steps down.

Because Creationism Isn't Required in Schools

Let's Elect An Idiot President to Follow an Idiot President

The most backwards nations in the world that have a democracy elect religious bigots i.e. Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan, Darfur, Malaysia, etc. Brownback is running for President to prove we can be just as ignorant and unfair as them.

Bush's Other Intelligence Problems

Why Would an Administration Dismantle the Intelligence Community?

Apart from the obvious civil liberties this administration has ignored, it's also done a good job of dismantling the intelligence community that's supposed to defend us (and actually warned Bush) of 9/11 types of activity.

Continuing to smart from his ignorance of the Aug. 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) that explicitly warned of a terrorist attack by Osama bin Laden just weeks before it occurred, Bush has reshaped and restructured every intelligence agency until none are effective except perhaps the National Security Agency (NSA) which seems adept only at overseeing the innocent movements of American citizens.

Just over a year and a half after creating a unified hierarchical structure to oversee all intelligence gathering activity, his appointee, John Negroponte, has resigned to return to the State Department where ending mid-East tension is more realistic than putting Bush's Humpty Dumpty intelligence agency "restructuring" back together again. It's assumed he will be replaced by Vice Admiral Michael McConnell who presumably can prove the Navy had no prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks.

George Tenet resigned as head of the CIA in June of 2004, temporarily replaced by John Mclaughlin who was replaced by Porter Goss who abruptly resigned after about 20 months only to be replaced by Bush stooge Michael Hayden.

Oh yeah, the FBI didn't escape Bush's bungling. Bush happily broomed out Clinton's FBI chief Louis Freeh and brought in Robert Mueller, a man so politically corrupt he was defended by John Ashcroft. Mueller has been successful in refuting the FBI's role in ignoring 9/11 intelligence which means he and Bush are cut from the same polyester.

And don't even get me started on the office of Secretary of Defense' new Director Robert Gates who was finally rewarded for his complicity (and silence) in the Iran Contra scandal by being given the responsibility of directing our country's military.

Crooks who can keep their mouths shut get special treatment by this administration.

Things Republicans Don't Give a Shit About vol. 3

Zebra Mussels and Asian Carp

So it turns out that the whole Zebra Mussel disaster back in the 80's was preventable, but politicians once again agreed to disagree and did what they do best: nothing. There's more money to spend for a disaster than there is preventing one.
So get ready for 80 lbs. Asian Carp to begin moving into the Great Lakes in the very near future. They've been temporarily halted by a dam in Peoria, but once they breech that it's on to the Chicago San - Shipping Canal and Lake Michigan.

$15 million would provide a meaningful electric fence between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Guess how much the attempted "clean-up" of the Great Lakes will run?

Now how long have the Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress, nationally and in Michigan?